Rail-joint for bedsteads.



llniTnn STATns Patented January 17, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROSS JOHN ELLSVVORTH, OF MUNCIE, TNDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO HICKSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF MUN CIE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

ldIlL-dOlNT FOR BEDSTEAIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 780,163, dated January 17, 1905. Application filed April 7, 1904. Serial No. 202,029.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, Ross loi-IN ELLswon'ri-r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mun cie, in the county of Delaware and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Rail- Joint for Metal Bedsteads, of which the following' is a speciiieation.

My invention relates to improvements in rail-joints for metal bedsteads; and the objects of my vinvention are to construct a simple and substantial joint that will not work loose, one that will hold the bedstead in a rigid upright position, and one that will allow the side rails to loe used either side up. ll attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of a joint complete, showing a portion of a bed-post, side rail, and cross-rail. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a rail-head detached from the post-socket; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a post-socket, taken on line a a' of Fig. 1, showing the rail-head in position indotted lines.

Similar letters referto similar parts throughout the several views.

By referring to the drawings it will be seen that my invention consists of two main parts, a post-socket A, which is secured to the upright post B, and a rail-head C, which [its into the said socket and which is secured to the end of a side rail D. The said socket A is provided with a T-shaped opening which is made tapering and which is smaller at its lower side. (Most clearly shownin Figs. l and 3.) The said socket is formed with two cxtending jaws A A', having interior bearingplanes for engaging the rail-head C. The said jaws are made parallel to each other and a short distance apart, and their bearing-surfaces A are tapering, so as to come closer to the inner bearing-surface A at the bottom or lower side, as shown in Fig. 3, the inner bearing surface or plane A being made parallel to the post B, as shown in said Fig. 3.

The rail-head C is made in a 'l' shape, correspondingsornewhat to the shape of the opening in the post-socket. The eXtreme end of the said head C is formed with two flat bearing-points C C and two oppositely-extending oval bearing-points C, the opposite sides of the said head being exactly alike, (only one side and one point C being shown in Fig. 2,) as shown in Fig. 2 and indicated by dotted or breken lines in Fig. 3.

In the construction of my invention I make the parts A and C of any suitable material and either in chilled casting, malleable or brass, regulated somewhat by the style of bedstead or by the other material from which the bedstead is constructed. In every case the post-socket A and the rail-head C are rigidly and permanently secured to their respective parts of the bedstead, and the cross-rails E are also secured to the post-socket A, as indicated in Fig. 1.

lt will be seen that by the bearing-points C C being at right angle to the bed-rails D and by the bearing-points C C being directly in the center or between the points C C the side rails D may be used either side up without interfering with the locking or fastening of the said rail-joints.

The operation is as follows: To set up a bedstead, the rail-heads C are inserted in the post-sockets A. The hearing-points C C slide down the plane A until the points C C come in Contact with the tapering inner planes A of the socket-jaws A', at which time and place all four of the bearing-points become solidly and rigidly (but yet detaehably) wedged together, holding' the head and foot portions of the bedstead upright and at right angle to the side rails.

l/Vhat l claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

In a device of the characterdescribed, a socket provided with a T-shaped opening, the

. rear wall of the opening' being straight, the

inner faces of the front walls being on an incline and a T-shaped rail-head adapted to engage the T-shaped opening in the socket, the outer face of the bead of the T having Hat bearing-surfaces suitably spaced and the inner faces of the bead of the T having' the oval bearing-points located at points intermediate l to this specification in the presence of two subthe distance between the Het contact-surfaces scribing Witnesses. c

of the outer face 0f the bead of the T, the

oval bearing-points being` adapted t0 Contact ROSS JOHN ELLSWORTH 5 With the inclined surfaces oit' the inner walls Witnesses:

of the opening in the socket. J Aims BINGHAM,

In testimony Whereofl have signed my name S. L. POTTER. 

